January 2013

I keep hearing the gun control argument being made in the theater of need; “nobody NEEDS a 30 round magazine to hunt” or “Nobody needs a AR-15 to hunt.” I hear these arguments and do not understand the place our country has arrived.

The United States of America is built on freedom and not need. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness remain our freedom call. The government should not have the right to dictate what we “need” or do not need.

The Second Amendment to our Constitutions reads, “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Our founders consistently defined a militia as the people.

They knew that there may be times when the people will need to be called up to fight against tyranny. Tyranny is defined as oppressive power or a government in which absolute power is vested in a single ruler.

Our Founding Father knew what tyranny was and they wanted an armed people to be ready to stand against tyranny. They meant for the people of the United States to be armed and purposefully wrote this amendment to say that; “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Our right to own weapons is not the big issue being raised right now. People (politicians) know that there is strong public support for gun ownership. Politicians know that there is a severe price to be paid for proposing gun bans.

Knowing this, they instead have taken up the “need” argument. This argument is not being thought out very well. New York State has decided that their citizens do not need semiautomatic weapons or more than 7 rounds.

Chicago and Washington, DC have some of the toughest gun laws on the books, and the highest rates of gun violence.

England confiscated the weapons of the people and now their violent crime rate is more than 4 times the rate in America.

We “need” food, water and shelter in bad weather. We need a relationship with God, which thankfully, is available through His Son Jesus Christ. We may need heath care and medications. We may need some form of transportation. We need our family and friends. SO many other things we have, we do not need.

Automobile accidents kill many more people every year (32,367 in 2011-lowest in 63 years) than guns yet we still have them; without considering the times vehicle are used as weapons. We do not need personal vehicles. There are trains, buses, public transportation, bikes, carts, wagons and many other forms of transportation that are much safer. Even if we have personal vehicles, do we need so many varieties and brands? We could decide what is the absolute safest car, truck and van and only have those three.

Tobacco products kill many more people every year (around 443,000) than guns (30,470 in 2010 – almost 1/3 were suicide), yet they are still available. Maybe we should refocus our attention on what kills more people and act as frantically on those issues.

Alcohol kills many more people every year (75,000) than guns, yet alcohol is still available. Why? There is no actual need for beer, wine, whisky and other distilled spirits.

I saw a report just a few days ago that said more people were killed by hammers than “assault weapons.” With the invention of pneumatic hammers maybe we do not need regular hammers anymore, or restrict their ownership to carpenters, steel workers and auto body repairmen…if they can pass the background check.

Why do we not act on these other issues?

Maybe we are ok with killing more Americans over time as opposed to a few at one time?

Maybe there are a few people out there who say, “I don’t like tobacco, so I won’t buy any” as opposed to “I don’t like tobacco so no one should have access to tobacco.”

Maybe you have guessed that I am a gun owner and an NRA member. Neither my guns nor millions of other guns (310 Million in 2009) in America killed anyone today. Evil people kill.

People with mental issues kill people. Guns are inanimate objects. Guns do not kill people.

We do not need fast food restaurants, air conditioning or vacations; but I am sure glad they are available.

I grew up with guns. We had many guns in our farm house that we used for hunting, varmit removal, target practice and fun events like skeet shooting. We were taught the value of life, how to safely operate a gun and how to properly maintain our guns so they were ready when needed.

I do not need an AR-15, I am told. Maybe you are right. I have other, traditional style, rifles that are much more powerful than my AR-15. The reality is that I own a pistol that is more powerful than my AR-15.

I served in the military, was trained to operate the M-16 that is an actual assault weapon. I like the AR-15, it reminds me of my service to our country, is light weight, more ergonomic and easier to shoot than other rifles. There is no reason the government should be able to tell me that I do not “need” one.

In 1927 a man killed 38 elementary students and 6 adults in Bath Township, Michigan with dynamite, not a gun.

On March 25th, 1990 87 people were killed in a social club in the Bronx, NY with a jug of

gasoline and a match, not a gun. This is reported as the largest mass murder in US history. Maybe, until 9-11.

On 9-11 over 3,000 Americans died at the hands of violent terrorists who did not use a single gun. They used box cutters and airplanes.

Evil will find a person and a method to execute it’s evil desires. We cannot say that we do not “need” something because it is used for evil. Evil has used rocks, water, wood, knives, gasoline, chemicals, fabric, food, their own hands and body, poisons, guns, ropes, hammers, pins, pens, and millions of other items to fulfill its evil desires.

With all of those items out there and available to do me harm, I NEED my guns!